On equivalence of two optimization methods for fuzzy discrete programming problems (Q1111467)

If one generally agrees that operational research is doing a great job in modelling the problems as a prerequisite to solve them, the main criticism remains that the models are almost always too rigid to express all intricacies, all imprecision and vagueness of real life situations. Fuzzy set theory aims at filling this gap. However this task is not easy and appears to be quite cumbersome and heavy due to the combinatorial implications of this approach. The author of this paper has succeeded in simplifying one of these combinatorial problems - the fuzzy discrete programming problem - by showing its equivalence with a classical ranking function model. Sufficient conditions for this equivalence and the corresponding theorems are developed. The theoretical results are illustrated by a numerical example. Undoubtedly this development is an important contribution towards achieving a better acceptance of fuzzy set theory as a current operational research technique and hence towards bringing operational research analysis nearer to real life situations.